Episodes

Test optional policies driven by limited access to testing during the pandemic have made that part of the process more confusing, especially at colleges that rely heavily on grades and testing alone when making admissions dec...

February is Financial Aid Awareness Month, and we’re celebrating by covering the basics of financial aid, from the definition to available options to funding sources. We’re also welcoming a guest to the show to share his jour...

We regularly speak to students with an interest in the medical field and the different paths available to them. This week, a working nurse will join the show to discuss his journey to becoming a nurse and offer insight into h...

Today, we are fortunate to have former University of Chicago Dean of Admission, Ted O’Neill, offer a retrospective of his 30+ years serving in admissions. We will wrap up the show focusing on tax season, and we have informati...

Did you know that you can ask for more merit money? Well you can, and we have some information about when and how to do this. We’re also looking at the myths that surround the SAT and ACT, and digging into what we mean when w...

2021 was the year when we were supposed to emerge from beneath the COVID cloud. It didn’t exactly pan out that way, but we did emerge! We’re sharing insight into what went well for our students in the college admissions proce...

Is it too early to start thinking about the summer? Of course not! Early winter is the perfect time to think about what you want to do and where you want to do it—we have tips for getting started. We’re also answering college...

Your applications are in. Now what?! We’ll tell you! As the New Year approaches, and with it, resolutions, we’re offering some suggestions for you to consider on both the admissions and personal finance front. Start the New Y...

Graduates with student loans need to prepare: the CARES Act and loan payment accommodations are scheduled to come to an end early in the new year. We’re sharing what you need to know and do next. Some students will return hom...

As colleges offering Early Decision and Early Action deadlines start rolling out their decisions, students will soon have to act on those decisions. We have next steps for everyone getting acceptances, deferrals, and denials ...

Last year was a whole new world for college admissions, both for admissions officers and for the applicants and their families. One of our educators shares her experiences as an admissions officer that cycle, including how th...

Historically, having multiple children in college at the same time has meant more financial aid eligibility. That may change with the new FAFSA changes coming in the next few years. We’ll explain what that means for you. In a...

If you’ve taken out any student loans, you may recently have received notice that your student loan servicer is changing. We’ll explain what a student loan servicer is and why they’re making changes. If you haven’t yet starte...

Any seniors out there just getting started on the college process? We have advice on what to do now in terms of applying to college and paying for it. We’re also walking you through the supplemental essays required by USC as ...

Applying to Villanova? They have two required supplemental essays, one that everyone writes and then a choice from a list of five prompts. We have advice on how to approach each of them. In Office Hours, we’re answering your ...

Wondering why you might want to consider a liberal arts college? Tune in this week for our thoughts on the benefits and the potential return on investment you can see from a liberal arts degree. Office Hours this week feature...

The application for Penn State’s Schreyer Honors College features 10 additional essays. We will walk you through each one. We’re also exploring two calculators essential to understanding how much you will pay for college, the...

A few years ago, an essay with Costco at its center made the media circuit as an example of a powerful and successful college essay. We don’t like it, and we’re going to share why. The Merit Scholarship program gets a lot of ...

Ever wonder how important essays are in the process at large state universities? It probably won’t surprise you to learn that it depends! In this week’s first segment, we share our thoughts on when these essays really matter ...

For most colleges, applying for financial aid is as simple as filling out the FAFSA. But a smaller group of schools also requires the CSS Profile. We’ll share what to expect if you need to complete that form as well. In the e...

Should you file the FAFSA even if you don’t qualify for financial aid or have no plans to apply for financial aid? These are questions we frequently field, especially during the fall, and we’re going to answer them on today’s...

AP Capstone Program; College Bills; Balanced College Lists For seniors finalizing their college lists, one of the most important things to consider is whether it’s a balanced one. All reaches? Not good. All safeties? Might be...

What does it mean when colleges send you mail? We discuss examples from a few different schools where we worked, and share thoughts on what to do with the mail you receive. We’re also answering your college finance and admiss...

Starting the University of California application and wondering how to tackle those essays? We’ll discuss how to approach them in this week’s podcast. In another in our series on our team’s own college stories, Lisa Albro sha...